Effective Email Guidelines

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Effective Email Guidelines
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Contents

• Email Has Become Ineffective
• Poor Usage Examples
• Use Smart Subject Lines
• Think Before You Click
• Write for Action
• Reducing the Load
• Quality Communications
• Recommended Standards
• General Tips
• Call to Action

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Email Has Become Ineffective

• Its a double-edged problem
• Too many messages are floating around
• Half are unnecessary
• The other half are ineffective
• Fixing the problem lies on our shoulders

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Poor Usage Examples
No subject line
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Poor Usage
Action required and key points are hidden in the
message
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Poor Usage
  -----Original Message----- From
Sent Monday, January 08, 2001 546 PM To IMS
Operations Subject Information   I will be gone
all day Tuesday/01-9-01 at an Operations Offsite
Staff Meeting. I will be accessible via cell or
pager listed below-   Thanks
Misusing the global distribution list
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Poor Usage
Discussion that could have been done on the phone
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Use Smart Subject Lines

• All messages should have clear and specific
  Subject Lines that
• describes the message content
• specifies if there are any actions required due
  dates
• mentions clearly who the message is for
• Subject Line Template
• TAG description actions due date (EOM)

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Use Smart Subject Lines
TAG description action due dates
(EOM)

• Good Subject Line Examples
• FYI ONLY Meeting minutes from 3/14 discussion
• WSR Joe Smith Operations WW17
• ARs Included Minutes from MRC, all ARs due
  Friday 4/1
• DISTRIBUTE Program POR updated related
  information
• Bob, Joe need you at noon meeting Wed w/ your
  updates
• AGENDA Staff meeting Thurs 3/12 1000 pm
• Mary I will attend the WW FTF present summary.
  (EOM)
• Poor Subject Line Examples
• Weekly Minutes
• Here are the URLs
• Re presentation
• (blank subject line)
• Unrelated subject line sending an email with an
  old subject line that does not relate to this
  message

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Use Smart Subject Lines

• If you can type your entire message in the
  subject line and dont need to write anything in
  the body of the message - do so!
• Type (EOM) at the end of the subject line. EOM
  means end of message

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Think Before You Click

• Dont automatically REPLY TO ALL.
• Take one last look at your distribution list is
  this email necessary for all recipients.
• Once the email discussion goes beyond 2-3 replies
  anyway, its time to pick up the phone

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Write For Action

• In the first 1-3 lines of your email, specify
  what this email is about.
• Does it include action required?
• Does it require a reply back by a certain date?
• What information is contained that the reader
  will find necessary for their job?
• Use the To and Cc addresses appropriately

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Reducing the Load

• Overloaded system recipient
• Use text messages every time you can
• Status Reports, Meeting Minutes, Trip Reports,
  Simple Proposals
• Use formatted documents when necessary
• Spreadsheets, presentations, formal documents
• Stop replies before they start
• If a reply is not required, end your message with
  (Reply Not Necessary)

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Quality Communications

• Email is not the right communication tool when
  quick response is needed
• Use email to convey non-sensitive or
  non-emotional information

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Quality Communications

• If an email discussion doesnt end in 1-2 replies
  and get the results that are necessary STOP
• Ask yourself, are you sharing expertise, or just
  venting
• Constructive confrontation or disagreements do
  NOT get resolved in email

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Recommended Standards

• Recommended Subject Line Tags
• URG - Stop everything, read me first
• HOT - Need immediate attention
• RSP - Need you to respond, either way
• MTG - New/modified meetings
• FWD - Forward to your respective group(s)
• HLP - Need information, assistance with a
  problem
• FYI - Just for your information
• ACT - Needs action

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Recommended Standards

• Rules
• No outlook templates or pretty stationary" when
  sending/replying messages
• Reply to sender only. Only "Reply to All" when
  absolutely necessary
• PowerPoint Files Zip all attachments. Large
  files use shared server or websites
• When possible, short messages should be written
  in the subject line, with the EOM tag

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Recommended Standards

• Rules
• No discussions in email. When people start
  "talking" in email, please stop
• Carbon Copy your manager if you really need to
• Do not use UPPER case alphabets unless using it
  as a title. This gives a negative connotation
  (looks like you are yelling those words)

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General Tips

• Use Follow Up Flags.
• If you find you are on a distribution list you
  dont need to be on
• send a note to the originator to be removed.
• If you get involved in an email discussion that
  you dont need to be in
• ask to be taken off the distribution.
• While forwarding the message delete the list of
  email addresses if not necessary
• If you see someone else practicing bad email
  etiquette
• send a friendly note and ask them to correct it

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General Tips

• Incoming Email Tips
• Process your email in batches
• Dont overreact to nuance in email

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General Tips

• Font
• Use standard font throughout the message content
• Avoid colored fonts in a professional email
• Be very specific with the use of bold, italic or
  underline font style
• Keep the size of the font visible and constant
• Paragraph and line spacing should be legitimate
  and visually appealing
• Avoid short forms or slang (e.g. u instead of
  you, y instead of why, r instead of
  are, etc)

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Examples
From XYZ Sent Monday, January 08, 2001 546
PM To ABC Subject Information Dear Sir, With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level. With
reference to the below mentioned mail, the issue
to a higher level. With reference to the
below mentioned mail, I would like to mention
here that the required action was taken long back
and hence there was no need to escalate the issue
to a higher level With reference to the below
mentioned mail. Regards, XYZ 
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Examples
From XYZ Sent Monday, January 08, 2001 546
PM To ABC Subject Information Dear Sir, With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level. With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned
mail. Regards, XYZ 
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Examples
From XYZ Sent Monday, January 08, 2001 546
PM To ABC Subject Information Dear Sir, With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level. With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and HENCE THERE WAS NO NEED
TO ESCALATE THE ISSUE TO A HIGHER LEVEL WITH
REFERENCE TO THE BELOW MENTIONED mail, I
would like to mention here that the required
action was taken long back and hence there
was no need to escalate the issue to a
higher level action was taken long back and
hence there was no need to escalate the issue to
a higher level With reference to the below
mentioned mail. Regards, XYZ 
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Examples
From XYZ Sent Monday, January 08, 2001 546
PM To ABC Subject Information Dear Sir, With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level. With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned mail, I would
like to mention here that the required action was
taken long back and hence there was no need to
escalate the issue to a higher level With
reference to the below mentioned
mail. Regards, XYZ 
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Call to Action

• Implement these guidelines in your own email
  usage
• Its got to start with you
• Take this presentation to your staff and request
  that they implement the guidelines

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Questions Comments
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Thank You